Ice and chilled water producing and dispensing machine

ABSTRACT

An ice producing and dispensing machine for delivering ice on demand to a consumer with a housing containing an ice maker having a discharge outlet for discharging ice. An ice bin is disposed below the ice maker having an open top for receiving ice from the ice maker and a bottom opening for discharging ice therefrom; a substantially vertical tube in communication with the bottom opening for receiving discharged ice with an auger or the like in the tube for driving the ice directly vertically in the tube; and a discharge opening in communication with the tube for conveying the ice to the discharge outlet either in a bag or as free ice cubes. Melted water and ice chips from the ice production are recycled and used to cool the water that is fed to the ice maker.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a divisional application of U.S. application Ser.No. 13/326,022, filed Dec. 14, 2011, which claims the benefit of andpriority to U.S. provisional application entitled, “Ice MachineDelivering Bagged Ice,” having Ser. No. 61/424,416, filed Dec. 17, 2010,both of which are entirely incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

The production, bagging and sale of ice is an extremely large enterprisethroughout the world. At present, the vast majority of pre-bagged ice isproduced in a factory, bagged, and shipped frozen to commercial orretail establishments. Whether the ice is produced off-site and shippedto a retail site or bagged on-site and stored in bagged form, the ice isfrozen and it could be days or even weeks old before a customerpurchases the bag of ice. This can lead to ice that is stale and whichmay be exposed to environmental elements that can impart an odor to theice during transport or subsequent storage. Another problem withpre-bagged ice that is stored in a frozen state is that any melting ofthe ice along the way results in the ice refreezing into large chunks ofice that have to be reduced in size prior to use. Typically, ice thathas refrozen into large chunks in the bag is dropped onto a floor orcountertop to shatter the ice chunks or chopped up using an ice pick,hammer, and like tools.

On-site ice producing machines are in wide use in facilities such ashotels and food service establishments. Such devices are typicallylarge, floor standing units that may be capable of producing hundreds ofpounds of ice per day. Ice produced in this manner is either dispensedby using a scoop to retrieve the ice from a storage bin or dispensedinto an ice bucket or chest via a chute operated with push buttons onthe front of the machine. This system requires that a container beprovided, whether it be an ice bucket, ice chest, or plastic bag.Systems such as these can lead to potential contamination of the iceand/or water as human contact with the ice is increased with additionalhandling. Furthermore, there exist ice forms, such as pelletized ice,that are difficult or even impossible for known ice producing andbagging machines to be able to handle, due to factors such as the sizeof the pellets and their relatively fragile nature.

It is known to provide free standing ice bagging machines such as thatshown in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. U.S. 2004/0216481 A1 toJames et al. This application discloses an ice bagging apparatus forautomatically and continuously producing, bagging, and storing bags ofice. The device includes an ice maker, a hopper for receiving ice fromthe ice maker, a slider box for receiving ice from the hopper and forchanneling the ice into a bag, a bagging mechanism, a freezer forstoring the bagged ice, and a control panel for managing and monitoringthe system. As the ice is produced and bagged, it is transferred to afreezer in the bottom portion of the machine where it is stored untilwithdrawn for use or sale. A similar device is shown by U.S. PatentApplication Publication No. U.S. 2007/0175235 A1 to Metzger, aco-inventor of the '481 application referenced above, the '235application having many of the same features.

Other known devices include U.S. Pat. No. 5,088,300 to Wessa whichdiscloses a machine that produces ice, bags the ice, and stores the icein a freezer where it is stored prior to use and/or sale. Additionalexamples of stand alone ice makers are shown by U.S. Pat. No. 7,207,156to Metzger; U.S. Pat. No. 7,624,773 to Maxwell; and U.S. Pat. No.6,093,312 to Boulter.

Thus, while many solutions have been tried, there exists a need in theart for an ice production machine that is sanitary, energy efficient,and which solves some of the attendant problems found in prior artdevices.

SUMMARY

Broadly stated, the present disclosure is concerned with a stand aloneice production apparatus which utilizes a commercially available icemaker which, in the disclosed embodiment, is capable of producing up to2,000 pounds of ice per day. The ice is deposited by gravity into aninsulated storage hopper having agitation means that periodically churnthe stored ice to prevent bridging of the individual pieces. As thepresent device is meant to be used by consumers to purchase ice in smallquantities, in bulk, or individual bags of ice, a vending function issupplied allowing the consumer to deposit bills, coins, credit cards, orother forms of payment into a payment accepting station. Upon payment,the apparatus delivers freshly produced ice to the consumer in anychosen amount, typically being dispensed in bags, into a small containersuch as a drinking cup, or into an ice chest or similar containerholding between a few ounces or even less up to twenty-five pounds ofice or more.

When the customer inserts payment into the machine, the ice is conveyedfrom the storage bin through an auger/conveyor to the bag and measuredby a level sensor to the quantity of ice that is desired to bepurchased. The ice is typically deposited into a bag, which bag may bedelivered either sealed or unsealed to the consumer, or the ice may bedelivered into another container.

Water for the production of ice is introduced into a hermetically sealedcapsule located within the apparatus. The capsule is located below theice receiving hopper within an insulated but unrefrigerated holding bin.Inevitably with ice production, some melting of the ice occurs. Inaddition, ice will escape through a transition/hole in the bottom of thestorage bin during operation of the machine. The cold water from the icemelting and any pieces of ice are directed to the storage bin whichholds the fresh water capsule. This arrangement chills the water in thecapsule prior to its delivery to the ice maker. Thus, instead of the icemaker receiving water at whatever ambient temperature happens to exist,the ice maker is supplied with chilled water from the capsule by virtueof the capsule being chilled by the byproducts of ice production. Thisgreatly reduces the energy required to produce the ice as the ice makeronly has to lower the temperature of the ice a few degrees in order forit to freeze.

In some embodiments, the present apparatus may also include a cold waterdispensing station. In a similar manner in which chilled water isdistributed to the ice maker, chilled water is dispensed to a consumerin quantities ranging from a few ounces to a gallon or more.

Additional objects and advantages of the present apparatus will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art from the following detaileddescription, accompanying drawings, photographs and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view, showing a stand alone ice productionand bagging apparatus showing the payment station and the ice dispensingdoor;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the present apparatus with a waterdispensing station added;

FIG. 3 is an isometric view shown partially in cross-section, showingthe ice maker and storage bin and the associated motors;

FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view showing the electronic control box;

FIG. 5 is a partial front elevational view showing the modem used tocommunicate to and from the present apparatus;

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view shown partially in cross-section,illustrating the means for delivering the ice from the hopper to avertical auger for moving the ice to the bagging station;

FIG. 7 is a partial perspective view showing the ice receiving hopperand bag storage station;

FIG. 8 is a partial top plan view looking down into the ice receivinghopper;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view showing the verticalauger;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view illustrating meansfor delivering the ice from the storage hopper to the auger;

FIG. 11 is an isometric view shown with portions of the machine cutaway, showing an alternate embodiment with a chilled water storagesystem.

FIG. 12 is an isometric view, shown with portions of the machine cutaway, showing an alternate version of an agitator for the ice storagebin.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring more specifically to the drawings and to FIG. 1 in particular,numeral 20 designates generally a free standing ice production andbagging apparatus. The apparatus is meant to be placed virtuallyanywhere that has access to a water line and a power source whetherelectrical, solar, or other means for powering the apparatus. Theapparatus is meant to be used by a consumer to purchase freshly baggedice and, in some cases, chilled water that is ready for consumption. Theapparatus includes a payment station 22 with means for accepting bills,coins, credit cards, and other forms of payment, as is known in the art.Once the ice is produced and bagged, it is delivered to the consumerthrough a door 24, located near the bottom of the apparatus. The ice canalso be dispensed through a chute or the like (not shown) into a cup,ice chest, etc. The description to follow is concentrated on ice beingproduced and bagged prior to delivery to the consumer; however, thedevice is capable of producing and dispensing ice into another type ofcontainer and the description should be considered to include this typeof delivery.

FIG. 2 is a drawing of an embodiment of the present apparatus showingthe payment station 22 and the ice delivery door 24. This embodimentalso includes a water dispensing station 25, where a consumer canpurchase chilled water in any of a number of different volumes, rangingfrom a few ounces to a gallon or more.

Referring to FIGS. 3-10, numeral 26 designates a commercially availableice maker of known design. The ice maker is capable of producing up to2,000 pounds of ice a day, given optimum conditions. The amount of iceproduced is controlled by limit switches that sense the amount of icethat is stored in the apparatus ready for delivery, the limit switchesbeing operable to either activate or turn off the ice maker, asproduction warrants. Ice produced in the ice maker 26 is deposited viagravity into an insulated ice storage bin 28. The storage bin iscapable, in this embodiment, of holding approximately 1,000 pounds ofice.

FIG. 4 is a depiction of control means 27 that determine various factorsand aspects of operation including, but not limited to, agitation of theice cubes, timing of the various functions, limits on production,analysis of the operation, etc. FIG. 5 shows a modem 29 by which themachine owner or operator can control the operation of the machine fromvirtually any location using a computer, smart phone, or like device,utilizing an internet connection. The control means 27 monitors allaspects of operation and through the modem, is able to alert theoperator to power failures, water shut-downs, the number of bags of iceproduced and dispensed, the number of bags remaining, revenue received,the state of the water dispenser, etc. Thus, the operator can easilyschedule regular maintenance visits, revenue collection, and othertasks, by virtue of the control and communications systems.

The control system has an auto-agitation feature. This is tied into theactual icemaker green board. It causes the machine/agitator to gain apersonality based on past sales history. If it needs to agitate to fillthe bin 28 faster, it will, if not, it shuts down and goes to thepredetermined default setting. The benefit of this is that the machinewill fill the bin 28 at the fastest possible rate without damaging theice. In the past this has been a real issue that the owner/operator hadto continuously monitor, so one didn't over agitate the ice, thereforecausing mechanical damage or actually damaging the product to the pointthat it will not dispense. With this feature the owner/operator canliterally walk away from the machine and it will manage its inventory byitself. The icemaker and the machine literally become one.

Located in the ice storage bin 28 is an agitator shaft 30, from whichproject multiple tines 32. The agitator shaft 30 is rotated using amotor 34, which may be coupled to the shaft using a direct drive, chainand sprocket drive, or the like. Periodic agitation of the ice containedin the storage bin 28 is effected to keep the ice in a fluid state andto maintain the ice in a level orientation with respect to the storagebin. Maintaining the ice at a level orientation ensures that the storagebin 28 is maintained in a substantially full capacity, which in turn,provides several advantages that will be discussed hereinbelow. When aconsumer inserts payment into the payment acceptor on the front of thepresent apparatus, a spinner 36, located in a bottom opening 35 belowthe storage bin 28, is activated. The spinner 36 has a plurality ofblades 37 and may be operated with a motor that is connected toauger/reducer 44, although other drive means may be utilized. The bladesof the spinner propel the ice down chute 38 to an upstanding, verticallyoriented, and insulated tube 40. Inside tube 40 is a propelling meanssuch as a vertically oriented auger 42 which is activated via motor 44,located therebelow. The auger drives the ice upwardly to a downwardlyinclined receiving chute 47. The auger drives the ice into a funnel 48from where it is directed into a waiting bag 50. In prior art designs,it has not been possible or even suggested that stored ice could bedriven upwardly to a discharge chute. The present design solves thisproblem in an unexpected manner. By driving the ice vertically, thedevice can be configured in a more compact, space saving design, solvinga long-felt need.

Funnel 48 is shown in drawing FIGS. 7 and 8. The funnel is mounted onthe inside of the outer door and can be sized to any dimension withinthe confines of the available space. The funnel is used to transfer theice from the auger tube to the bag. The amount of ice dispensed dependson the settings input by the operator and can be set to a desired leveldepending on the size of available bags, the amount of money insertedinto the machine, and any other chosen parameters. For example, theoperator could provide bags capable of holding twenty pounds, and theconsumer could choose to purchase five, ten, fifteen, or twenty pounds.As can be seen in FIGS. 7 and 8, the bags 50 are stored below the funnel48. When a consumer inserts payment and the ice is driven into thefunnel 48, a fan 51, (shown in FIG. 3), is activated and blows air intothe bag, causing the mouth of the bag to open for receiving the icecubes.

The amount of ice deposited into the funnel 48 is controlled by limitswitches which adjust the amount of ice dispensed depending on factorssuch as bag size, the amount of money deposited, and other factorscontrolled by the operator of the apparatus when it is initially set upfor use. The filled bag of ice is then released onto a discharge chute52 that leads to a hinged pad 57. The hinged pad pivots the bag forwardto be sealed. When the filled bag of ice is deposited onto the inclineddischarge chute, it may either activate a magnetic device to unlock thedoor and dispense the ice bag, or the bag may be directed via the hingedpad 57, by virtue of its weight, to a sealing pad where the bag is heatsealed or sealed in some other manner. The operation is controlled bymotor 53 through a control arm 55 as shown in FIG. 3 or alternatively,by gravity. The sequencing is controlled using the electronic controlmeans 27.

Referring to FIG. 11, a water storage capsule 70 is shown locatedbeneath the storage bin 28. Fresh water is introduced into the waterstorage capsule from an outside water line. The water entering the waterstorage capsule may be purified using filters, ultraviolet light, and/orother means, such that a supply of purified water is held in thecapsule. Water from this capsule is then directed to the ice maker foruse in ice production. The water storage capsule is located inside of aninsulated catch tank 72. As ice is produced, there is inevitably somemelting and pieces or chips of ice that escape the storage bin 28. Theice pieces, any melted ice, and any condensation which may be present isat a relatively low temperature. This chilled medium is directed viadrains or passages 71 etc. into the insulated catch tank 72 where itcontacts the outside of the water storage capsule 70. This arrangementserves to lower the temperature of the water in the water storagecapsule, prior to its transfer to the ice maker 26. The delivery ofchilled water to the ice maker greatly lowers the energy required toturn the chilled water into ice, thus resulting in substantial energysavings. As the present apparatus has no facility to refrigerate/freezethe ice that is produced by the ice maker, after its initial production,there is inevitably a byproduct in the form of chilled water. Thus anotherwise wasted resource is in effect recycled and used to cool thepurified water in the water storage capsule. A suitable drain, notshown, is provided along with control means, to ensure the catch tank isnot overfilled.

To amplify, the water capsule 70 and catch tank 72 are located under theprimary ice storage bin to capture melting ice water and the crushed icethat is on the bottom. Since this is the waste being made from theprimary product it is basically a “free” way to cool down the water thatis being used to make the ice. When the water and crushed ice fallthrough the bottom of the bin into the catch tank 72, it partiallysurrounds the water capsule that is full of fresh incoming water andbrings down the temperature of the incoming water that is going to theice maker to approximately 35° to 40°. This makes the icemaker about 20%more efficient than it is by using normal incoming water that is 60° to80°, and it is at no cost since it is using the byproduct of the meltedice. Secondly, the machine is dispensing the water that is cold out tothe actual customer in any increment from as small as an ounce tomultiple gallons, more or less. This is not being done anywhere becauseit is too expensive to chill the water before dispensing it. In thepresent case it costs nothing, because there is a constant supply ofmelting ice to always chill the water capsule. The present device canalso be programmed to dispense a relatively small amount of ice into acup and then dispense chilled water to fill the cup. The ability to fillsmall containers with chilled water further has the potential to limitthe huge amounts of plastic water bottles that are annually discardedinto landfills.As discussed hereinabove, in an alternate embodiment, thepresent apparatus can be provided with one or more water dispensingstations, typically located on the front of the machine. When a consumerintroduces payment into the payment acceptor to purchase water, chilledwater is dispensed from the water storage capsule to a receptacle ofvirtually any size. No known system presently exists for such anefficient provision of purified chilled water in quantities that mayrange from a few ounces to a gallon or more.

An alternate embodiment in the form of a spiral staggered agitator isshown in FIG. 7. This agitator is particularly suited for pelletized ornugget ice, as opposed to cubes. Here the agitator has a central shaft80 with a plurality of staggered and spirally arranged tines 82,projecting radially from the shaft 80. The lowermost tine has awing-shaped extension or blade 84 that is disposed slightly above thebottom wall of the ice storage bin 28. The blade is angled slightlydownwardly from a position parallel to the tine on which it is mounted.A similar extension or blade 86 is mounted on the uppermost tine, anddisposed substantially perpendicular thereto. The top blade 86 serves tolevel the ice falling into the bin from the icemaker 26 that is locatedabove the bin.

The lower blade and the spiral, staggered tines glide, or cut, throughthe stored ice in a very efficient manner. The design is able to handlepelletized ice, which has not been possible with any known prior artdesigns. A disk 88 is mounted on top of the agitator shaft 80 that hasmeans, such as predrilled holes, to accommodate additional agitatortines if necessary or desired.

The present device also admits of an inventive method wherein water isintroduced into the capsule 70 for use by the ice maker. Once iceproduction has begun, the by-products, i.e. ice chips, condensation,etc., are funneled to the insulated housing around the capsule. Thewater for the ice maker and for being dispensed as drinking water ispre-chilled prior to its introduction into the ice maker, thusconserving energy as detailed above.

Thus, while an embodiment of an ice production, bagging, and dispensingmachine and modifications thereof have been shown and described indetail herein, various additional modifications may be made withoutdeparting from the scope of the present Invention or the appendedclaims.

At least the following is claimed:
 1. A method for producing ice andchilled water for distribution from a machine having an ice maker forproducing ice, the ice being directed to a storage bin, the bincontaining agitating means and an outlet for dispensing the ice, themachine further having a water storage capsule inside an insulatedhousing, the water storage capsule receiving and holding purified water,the storage capsule having a discharge outlet for dispensing water, theinsulated housing receiving ice pieces and condensation from the iceproduction operation, for chilling the water in said capsule, comprisingthe steps of: providing a supply of pre-chilled water; introducing saidpre-chilled water into said ice maker, thereby hastening thetransformation of the water into ice.
 2. The method of claim 1 furthercomprising the step of propelling the ice from the storage binvertically from the outlet to a discharge opening for distribution to aconsumer.
 3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step ofdispensing some of the pre-chilled water through a discharge outlet to acontainer provided by a consumer.
 4. The method of claim 1 in which saidpre-chilled water is contained in said water storage capsule.
 5. Themethod of claim 1 further comprising the step of dispensing ice andpre-chilled water through discharge outlets to a container provided by aconsumer.